Life Goes On
by MCJMS
Summary: My take on what happened after the finale, formatted basically as a continuation of the series.
1. Chapter 1:

**_I Don't own Third Watch or any of the existing characters._**

I wrote my own continuation of the series a while back, I'll be adding a chapter or two here and there as I get a chance, plenty more where this came from.

_It's been a little over two months since the Five-Five closed; things definitely have changed since then. I'm working in Bed-Stuy now. There's a lot of action which is great, I guess, but it's not the same. It's not Camelot. I'm not exactly the most sentimental guy, so I never expected I would feel like I do, especially after a few months. I actually think I'd prefer the quiet of a nice slow day now that I'm riding with a rookie who doesn't know shit about shit. I miss working with Faith, and she's the only reason I think I still like the action, with her working Major Case, when something big goes down she'll come around with her partner and other detectives and I get to see her. I get to talk to her, we've never been the same since the Five-Five closed, but every time I do see her, things get a little better between us. I know we'll be back to being best friends at some point, we've been to hell and back together before, we always end up being brought back together. The only thing that bothers me as at this point, I'm seeing her in a different light, and not sure if being friends and nothing more is enough. That being said, I'll take what I can get, I just want her in my life again. It kills me that I won't be able to ride with her anymore, though._

I walked into my apartment after a particularly long shift, throwing my keys onto the coffee table. I looked around at the mess I called an apartment and suddenly realized why that brunette I hooked up with last week was so quick to leave in the morning. The place was a mess. It didn't really bother me though, as I stepped over a pile of clothes and headed to the kitchen for a beer. The day had just been too rough to care. One of the guys from my house, the 79, had been shot, I didn't really know him well but it always hurt to lose another officer. The pain of losing a fellow cop wasn't what was eating at me the most though; I had seen the way his partner reacted when it happened. The fear, sheer terror in his face, the begging and pleading with the man he rode with everyday for the past 10 years to stay with him. I had a flashback to when I was shot, and although I couldn't remember a damn thing after the first three bullets hit me other then the sudden realization that I was going to die there, in the hospital, and I'd be with Michael, I, for some reason, today could remember hearing Faith's screams and the desperation in her voice as she tried to help me. I don't know if I really could remember them from that day, or if I just imagined how it must have sounded, but they were all too real. I actually froze up in the middle of the shootout; luckily my dumbass rookie partner got my attention back onto the task at hand.

I realized I was just staring blankly at the refrigerator in thought, so I opened it and grabbed a beer. As I opened it I realized I didn't need alcohol. I needed to talk to her. I took my phone out of my pocket and dialed her number.

"Hello?" I could hear a slight bit of frustration in her voice and was afraid I had woke her up  
"Hey, Faith, it's me"  
"Hey, Bosco, how are you? Is everything alright?"  
"Yea...well…actually Faith I was wondering if I could come talk to you tonight, I know it's late, though. I'm sorry"  
"No, don't worry…it's alright I won't be going to bed for a little while anyway"  
"You sure?"  
"Absolutely"  
"Ok, Faith, I'll be there in about fifteen"  
"Drive safe"

I nodded as I hung up, put my beer back in the refrigerator and headed out. The whole drive to Faith's house, I kept hearing the screams in my head, the screams I had heard earlier at the shootout and the screams that were in my head from when I was shot.

I got lucky and was able to park right in front of Faith's building. As I walked up the stairs, I tried to think about what I wanted to say. There was so much, I didn't want to leave anything out. _I need to tell her I'm sorry for everything, how thankful I am for everything she's done for me, I need to tell her that I'm in love with her….maybe not quite that much, but I definitely need to talk to her._

She answered the door almost immediately after I knocked, I wasn't sure if she was angry with me for coming so late or if she had just been waiting for me.

"Hey Bosco" she said softly, barely looking at me as she stepped aside so I could walk in. I nodded and forced a faint smile, as I walked to the couch. I sat down and took my hat off, then twisted it in my hands as if I was wringing out the brim like a washcloth, as a stared at the ground in front of me.

"What did you want to talk about?" She asked quietly as she sat down on the chair across from me. I hesitated for a moment and spoke quietly

"Faith, I'm so sorry…." I glanced up and saw her leaning forward so she could hear me, I tried to speak up a little but I don't think my tone changed, I looked back down so she couldn't see the tears forming in my eyes "I'm so, so sorry, Faith"  
"For what, Bosco?" She asked, obviously confused  
"For everything, Faith…I'm sorry for everything. I'm sorry I asked you to shoot for me, I just panicked Faith, I…I had already lost months of my life while I was in the hospital, months that you needed me, while you were dealing with everything with Fred and the kids…."  
"Bosco, it's not your fault you were in the hospital…you saved …"  
"I never should have asked you to shoot for me, and I never should've gone off when you said you wouldn't…even when you went to Swersky…"  
"Bosco, I was wrong for that" she said as crossed the room at sat next to me on the couch. I glanced up at her and shook my head with tears in my eyes  
"No, Faith. I was wrong to ever put you in that position….I've done that a lot, though. I've put you in bad positions a few times….like with Cruz…God, Faith...…I don't think I'll ever forgive myself for hurting you" My voice cracked as I finished my sentence, I choked back the tears and she took my hand in hers, as she changed positions again, this time taking a seat directly in front of me on the coffee table. She leaned her forehead against mine  
"Bosco, I haven't been the prefect, either. And I was wrong for going to Swersky. You're my partner, and I should've trusted you. You always trusted me, you always backed me up. You saved my life, Boz"

Tears streamed down her cheek as she spoke continued "When you asked me to shoot for you….Bosco I was scared. I didn't want to hurt you, I just couldn't let you go out there if you couldn't see…I couldn't let you get hurt again"  
I took her other hand in mine and looked into her green eyes, even filled with tears they were beautiful, but it killed me to see her cry. I cried with her like I've only cried once before in my life, and that was in that very same room, on that very same couch, with her, all those years earlier.

"I miss you, Faith" I barely managed to get out.  
"I love you, Bosco"


	2. Chapter 2:

_It had been a pretty quiet day, until I heard about a shooting over in Bed Stuy that killed an officer. I was in my office when it happened looking over a case file. I wasn't in a great mood because Miller and I had been arguing back and forth all day, it was hard to believe we actually had mentioned maybe moving in together just a few days earlier, well he suggested it. To be honest, I only nodded my head because I didn't want to hurt his feelings by saying no. I figured I could put it off until after Emily was done with college, which was a while away, so I wasn't worried about it. Getting back to my point, I didn't hear about the shooting until about an hour after it happened. When I heard it was the 79__th__, Bosco's house, I was terrified. Less than a minute later, Detective Johnson told me the officers name and thankfully it wasn't him, but for those few short seconds, time stood still, my heart was in my throat, I felt like I was going to throw up. It was the shortest emotional rollercoaster I've ever been on, but it sure as hell felt like it lasted hours. Anyway, I had hoped my emotions would only spin out of control once today, but now I felt my heart in my throat once again, the room felt as if it was spinning. Did I just say what I think I said? What's wrong with me, even though it's true, that's not the kind of thing you just go around saying to your partner. What the hell's he going to think? He's going to laugh at me, I know it. What would he be interested in a divorced mother of two who's going to turning forty in just a few short years? He dates women in their early twenties, beautiful women, women who jump into bed after the first date, women with no kids. I'm the antithesis of that. What the hell was I thinking when I said 'I love you'?_

He leaned back, moving away from me "What? What did you say?" he said quietly after a pause  
I hesitated, _I can't lie to him, but am I stupid enough to say it again. Oh god, he's giving me those puppy dog eyes, now I have to answer him._ "I…I said I love you" I finally managed to say. He looked at me in shock for a moment. _Oh great, we're just getting back on track, I've missed him for so long, I just want him back in my life, I miss him more than I've ever missed anyone. _  
"Bosco, I'm sorry…." I spoke slowly looking down at the floor. He took my hand in his and caressed my palm with his thumb. I looked up and saw he was smiling. _Oh great, now he's gunna start laughing at me  
_"You love me?"  
I only managed to nod slowly, waiting for his laughter as I looked back down at the floor  
"Faith" He lifted my chin with his other hand so our eyes met, he gazed into my eyes as he continued "I'm glad you said it first, I've wanted to say it for years…"

_What the hell? This better not be some kind of a sick joke or I'm gunna kill him. Maurice Boscorelli loves me? The handsome, incredible man who could have almost any woman he wants in the city, loves me? Of all people, me? This must be a joke. Oh God what the hell is he doing….he's not going to…oh God I think he is…._

He leaned in and kissed me softly on the lips. I could barely believe what was happening, but managed to kiss back just before he broke the kiss. "Faith, I've been in love with you ever since I met you in the academy, I just couldn't admit it to myself, and you were married….Faith, I love you so much" his eyes filled with tears. _Oh my God, he's serious! He loves me. For what reason I don't know but he loves me!_ My eyes filled with tears as he brought me into a tight embrace, I put an arm around him and placed my other hand on the back of his head, holding him close as he hugged me so tight I could barely breath.

The emotional roller coaster of the day was exhausting, but definitely worth it. Neither of us wanted to break the hug, when we finally did, he sat up leaning against the arm of the couch, I lay down between his legs and rested my head on his chest. It just felt right, he wrapped his arms around me

"I'm really glad you said it first" he said, I could tell he was smiling even though I couldn't see his face behind me "You know when I was standing outside in the hall, I was thinking of everything I wanted to say to you. I thought, well I need to apologize for everything, let you know how thankful I am to have you in my life, let you know how much you mean to me and I cut my own thought off when I started thinking I have to tell her I love her"

I giggled and leaned back to look up at him "Really?"  
"Would I make something that cheesy up?" he smiled shyly  
I turned my head and kissed his bicep "Boz, you know, about earlier…when we were apologizing and stuff…"  
"Yeah?"  
"I'm sorry we don't ride together anymore…" I could feel his grip grow a little tighter around me  
"I miss it too" he answered as he kissed me on the top of my head, I couldn't help but giggle, I know I've always seen the softer side of him even back when we were just working together, even in the academy, but seeing him so affectionate threw me a bit, in a good way though. A very good way, I knew without a doubt in my mind that he was my soul mate at that very moment. I'm not exactly the most girly girl but I felt like I couldn't keep myself from giggling as we spoke that night. We ended up falling asleep together on my couch that night. I never felt as safe with anyone, not even Fred, as I did that night with Bosco.


	3. Chapter 3

_**Hey guys thanks for the reviews and feedback, I appreciate it! Sorry it's taking so long to get more chapers up. Hopefully I'll have a bunch more on this week, I've been working nights lately so just haven't been able to get more chapters up. **_

_When the Five-Five closed I was promoted to Lieutenant of my own Anti-Crime team, the promotion was great and being able to still work with Finney was a positive also, but I still miss the days riding with Sully. He not only taught me everything I know about police work, but he's a second father to me. I go and visit him every weekend at his cabin, we're still as close as ever, but I just miss being in the RMP with him 40 hours a week. Things with Sasha and I are going pretty well too, she's trying to run for office now and off the force, which is for the best because, although I love her I'd probably always see her as IAB Detective Monroe if she was still working, not just my girlfriend Sasha. Getting back to my job though, I definitely enjoy working Anti-Crime, I'm actually working a lot lately back around where the old Five-Five was, crimes up drastically in the area without the precinct there, which makes sense. I've enjoyed working in the old area, kind of reminds me of the good old days. The only person besides Finney and Monroe that I'm in touch with from the 55__th__ is Bosco, actually just last week after I found out one of the guys on my team is transferring, I put in a request for Bosco to come in and take his place. He declined the promotion for whatever reason though, so he's still working in BedStuy. Actually, he's supposed to come up to Sully's cabin with me next weekend, he claims he'll show us both a thing or two about fishing, but we'll see about that._I rolled over as the phone woke me up, rubbing my eyes to try to focus on the clock  
"Who's calling so late?" Sasha rolled over and covered her head with a pillow  
"Go back to sleep, I got it" I picked up the phone "This better be good, its after 4am"  
"Ty…. it's Carlos, I need some help"  
"What's wrong…everything ok?" I asked as I sat up on the edge of the bed starting to wake up  
"Holly and I just got home and someone broke into our apartment…the doors off the hinges and all"  
"Ok, you didn't go inside yet, did you?"  
"No"  
"Alright, don't I'll be over in a few minutes"  
"Ok"

"What's wrong?" Sasha asked as I hung up the phone  
"Somebody broke into Carlos and Holly's….I gotta go check it out"  
"I'll come with you" she said sitting up  
"You're not a cop anymore, Sasha, you're running for office. I'll be fine myself…it'd look bad for your campaign anyway" I winked at her as I finished dressing, grabbed my gun and left the apartment. I drove over to their place which is only like 10 minutes away.

"There you are" Carlos said as I reached their floor  
"Hey Carlos, any movement or anything? Hey Holly" I nodded to Holly who was standing just behind him  
"Nah, nothing. I told her we should just go in but…"  
"What? No you didn't. When you saw the door off the hinges you screamed that girly little scream of yours and practically hid behind me…"  
I laughed as Carlos turned as red as a cherry and shushed her.  
"Alright, I'll look around quick, you guys just wait out here" I drew my gun and headed into the apartment.  
"Police, Show me your hands" I called out into the emptiness of the apartment. I searched around once and found no one, I looked around quickly one more time before letting them know it was all clear.

As we stood there waiting for the uniforms to show up, I noticed there was a halfway completed Crochet laying on a table

"You do those too?" I asked Holly "Sasha's always messing with those things…this one's actually pretty good, compared to hers. For my birthday she made me a three armed sweater" I laughed. "Actually, I don't…." Holly giggled and pointed to Carlos, who once again turned bright red. "It's relaxing ok!" he snapped, grapping it off the table and walking out of the room, leaving Holly and I laughing hysterically until the uniforms showed up.

When I got back home Sasha and I had a good laugh about it before going back to bed.

The next day at work we had a raid in Bed-Stuy, home of Bosco. We all met up at his station house and went over the plan a few times. I managed to keep ESU out of it so we were just going in with the local uniforms and our team.

"Alright, everybody ready? Good. Bosco you're with us" I said ending the meeting and turning to head outside.  
"Ah Davis I knew you missed me" Bosco said with a crooked smile as he caught up to me  
"Yeah, yeah" I rolled my eyes and glanced over at him "By the way, why don't you wanna work Anti-Crime?"  
He shrugged "I don't know" I can't read him the way Yokas can, but I could tell there was a reason he wasn't going to tell me. Bosco's Bosco though, he's one stubborn dude so I wasn't going to pry.  
"Man guess who I saw last night" I suddenly remembered the Crochet incident.  
"Sasha?" he said dryly with a smirk  
"Carlos and Holly. Guess what Carlos does to relax?"  
"Holly?" he said with the same smirk  
"Crochet"  
"Really?" Bosco laughed  
"Apparently" I smiled

Once we reached the staging area for the raid, I saw Carlos happened to be the medic on standby with his partner.

"Carlos, I had no idea your wife's a lesbian" Bosco said walking up to him with a big smile on his face  
"What?" Carlos asked raising an eyebrow obviously extremely confused.  
"She married a woman" Bosco looked him up and down and I slapped his hand as we headed over to the rest of the officers and prepared for the raid.

The raid went well, everyone we had expected to be there was there and we had enough to charge each of them, combine that with no one getting hurt, and that's about all you can ask for. Once I finished cuffing the last of our suspects I looked around for Bosco. Sasha wanted me to make sure he was coming to our house warming party, since she knew I'd be seeing him. I knew he wouldn't, but I had to ask at least so she wouldn't keep bugging me.

"Hey Bosco"  
"What's up?" he said looking up as he was getting back into his RMP  
"Sasha wanted me to ask if your coming tomorrow night"  
"What's tomorrow night?"  
"Some house warming thing she…I mean we…we're having"  
"You're turning into as much of a woman as Carlos" he cracked a smile  
"Whatever man, it's her idea, she just wanted me to ask"  
He rolled his eyes, I figured I'd give it one shot to convince him "Our buildings got a lot of single women…"  
"Not interested" he said cutting me off  
"Single women and alcohol…"  
"Nah, not interested, thanks though"  
I had never seen him turn down a chance at single, liquored up women. "You dating someone?"  
"None of your business" he said cracking a smile and getting in the car "Alright I'll be there"  
"Alright, I'll see you then" I nodded as he pulled away. I was surprised he'd come but even more surprised he wasn't interested in the women. I knew he must've been dating someone but wouldn't admit it. Usually he was the same way I was when I was single, he'd brag about how good the girl was in bed and how many rounds they went, but not this time. I figured he either couldn't get in her pants yet, or just really liked this one.


	4. Chapter 4

**Sorry for the short chapter, but I should have more up soon :)**

I don't own Third Watch, if I did, I wouldn't have cancelled it. 

"I'll see you tomorrow ladies, be ready for another lesson in police work" I smiled glancing over my shoulder as I walked out of the locker room with my gym bag over my shoulder  
"Whatever you say, Boscorelli" Stevens called back  
"You're just jealous my friend" I said opening the door and not looking back. For the first time leaving work since working at the Five-Five, I wasn't just going home to watch some ESPN and have a few beers, or watch some discovery channel. I wasn't going to a bar to see if I could find myself a girl who'd give it up that night. Faith and I agreed that morning to meet at her apartment after work, I was looking forward to just spending time with her, time where we both weren't crying and apologizing about how we'd messed up in the past.

As I got in my car and drove towards her place my head was filled with thoughts, I kept picturing all the good times we had had together while working in Five-Five David, and how glad I was that we were finally moving on together. I was so lost in my thoughts I almost forgot I told her I'd bring some dinner by, so I went to the Chinese place down the corner from her place. As I reached her apartment my hands were full with my gym bag and the bag from the Chinese place, I knocked on the bottom of the door with my foot which I regretted immediately remembering that Emily probably had class in the morning and would be asleep.

"Hey Bosco!" Emily opened the door with a big smile. Guess she's awake I thought to myself  
"Hey Em, how are you?" I smiled, it was the first I'd seen her in a while, I actually had only seen her once since the night I shot that frigged up vampire kid.  
"I'm good" she smiled taking the bag of Chinese from my hand "How're you?"  
"Can't complain…that Cashew chicken you like is in there, I didn't know if you'd be awake…"  
"You remembered?"  
I shrugged not wanting to let on, I've never been the type of person to remember things like that, but I knew Faith, Emily and Charlie like the back of my hand. As I put down my gym bag I looked her over head to toe once. Since I hadn't seen her much lately, I had forgotten how grown up she was getting.  
"Where's your mom?"  
"She just ran to the store quick….should be back any minute"  
I nodded "Hope she's not getting dinner"

Emily set the table for the three of us to eat while I laid out the food for us

"Damnit" I rolled my eyes as I pulled my hand back quickly after cutting my finger on the takeout container  
"Watch your language in front of my daughter, damnit"

I turned around to see Faith walking into the apartment with a smile on her face "Hey Faith" I smiled back then put my fingertip in my mouth to clean the cut  
"You always had trouble with those things, you're like a little kid" she laughed as she helped me finish opening the container for me "I actually just picked up band aids" she emptied the bag onto the table. I glanced at its contents

"Cigarettes?"  
She grabbed them quickly as if I hadn't seen them  
"You're smoking again?"  
"What?" She nervously asked even though I knew she heard the question  
" I smelled it yesterday anyway" I said then smiled "See you aren't the only one who can play detective"  
She smiled, obviously relieved I didn't give her a hard time. I'd rather she quit but it's not like I wasn't used to it, after all my mom's been smoking forever and although I don't smoke I'm certainly no angel.  
"You should quit" Emily said with a mouth full of cashew chicken  
"You shouldn't talk with your mouth open" Faith rolled her eyes with a smirk  
"So how's BedStuy?" Emily asked ignoring Faith  
"Eh, it's alright I guess" I answered honestly "Not the same though"  
"Mom says the same thing" She looked at Faith who nodded "Yeah, I miss the Five-Five sometimes….I'm around there a lot lately though…it's depressing"  
"Davis said the same thing" I said as she took a drink before she continued  
"Yeah…everything we worked for there for all those years, crimes taking over there again"  
"If they just let me go in there and decide who lives and who dies I could clean that place up real good…"  
"You'll never change, Boz" Faith smiled  
"Am I wrong?"  
"Well other then the fact that mass murder's wrong, not at all" she laughed  
"Technicalities"

Faith, Emily and I had a good time eating and talking with each other, after we cleaned up Emily went to bed, leaving me and Faith alone. Don't get me wrong, I love Emily like my own daughter, but I was glad she was out of our hair.

"You wanna go for a walk?" Faith asked with a smile as she came into the living room where I was flipping thru channels  
"Sure….there's never anything on this damn basic cable anyway"  
"Yeah well my divorce lawyer sucked me dry" She rolled her eyes  
"That's how you paid him?"  
She looked confused for a moment then realized what I meant "Grow up, Boz" she slapped my shoulder playfully as she picked up her purse and we headed for the door. We walked a few blocks to the park while talking about our days at work and telling each other about our new coworkers, as well as some of the stories we each had. It was weird to hear her telling me about some jagoff she arrested, since I was so used to being with her at work. We walked through the park and the conversation switched over to family and who we were still in touch with from the Five-Five.

"I promised Sully I'd swing by one day to see his new place, still haven't made it but I like the idea of no people around" she said  
"Yeah, it's a nice place, but that no people thing is a big selling point…hey that reminds me, did you hear about this housewarming thing Davis and Monroe are having tomorrow?"  
"Yeah….Davis invited me a few weeks ago"  
"Are you going?"  
"I might stop by, but I don't want to spend too much time in a room with Sasha she might rat me out if I have a cigarette or something"  
I cracked a smile, but it quickly faded. I knew what Faith meant when she said it but it took a moment to sink in and for me to realize that Sasha could have landed Faith in jail in for what she did that day on the roof. What she did that day for me. Even though it didn't happen, just the thought of it physically hurt me  
"Faith…."  
"It's ok Bosco, what's done is done" She gave me a semi convincing look as we continued to walk. I took her hand in mine and squeezed it "I love you, Faith"  
She stopped walking and turned to face me, her cheeks turning pink. She hesitated for a moment as if she was going to say something, before suddenly pressing her lips to mine.  
"I love you" she said with a smile after she pulled away "I have for a while"  
"Same here" I said and kissed her on the cheek "Longer then you can imagine"

We walked for about another half an hour before we went back to her apartment and watched some TV. When she rested her head on my chest I hoped she couldn't feel how much I enjoyed it. She fell asleep after a while and I realized just how crazy about her I was as I fought my own heavy eyes just to stay awake to watch her sleep and hear the sounds of her breathing. Finally I lost the battle and fell asleep.


	5. Chapter 5

_Waking up in his arms just feels right. He might not be the mushy, most romantic type, but that was fine with me. Truth be told, I'm not Ms. Romance myself, all I need is to be with him and I'm happy, I don't need him to be constantly pouring his heart out to me. I can read him like an open book, and I know exactly how he feels. When we silently look into each other's eyes, we say everything that's on our mind without a single word. It's always been like this, even when we were just two partners working together. The honest truth is we were NEVER just partners, we might have had our differences here and there, and our fights and arguments but I've always loved Bosco, at first just as a friend, but that developed into much more over the course of time, he's always been there for me, always had my back and never doubted me. The whole situation with Cruz, I can't even blame him for that, much like many other times over our partnership, Bosco was just trying to do the right thing, and it didn't work out exactly as he planned. His intentions were good almost all the time, though. In the aftermath of that incident in the hotel room, to be completely truthful, I wasn't mad as much at Bosco as I was mad at myself. I was mad at myself because from the time I was shot to the time I woke up from surgery, I barely even thought of my own husband. I didn't think very much about how it would affect Fred, I thought about my kids and I thought about Bosco. They're what got me through it. I thought of Fred from time to time, but not like I thought of my partner. I guess all the years of dealing with Fred's drinking had pushed us apart, while bringing Bosco and I closer together. He was always there for me, he always wanted me to do the right thing for me and my family._

"Morning" his voice broke my train of thought and I angled my head so I could see him laying behind me with his arms around my waist  
"Morning Boz" I smiled  
"How'd you sleep?" He asked shifting his body  
"Great" _And that sure as hell was the truth, I had problems sleeping ever since Fred left, then once I had finally started to get used to sleeping alone, Bosco and I had our little falling out and sleep rarely came easily ever since. Until now, that is_. "How about you?" I asked  
He smiled "I could get used to this"  
"So could I…." My voice trailed off as I heard Emily's door slam and her practically run across the hall to the bathroom "Overslept, late for school, sorry mom!" she said as if it was just one big word, the shower turned on before she was even done talking. Bosco looked at me with a nervous look in his eyes  
"What is it?" I asked  
"I…" he sat up "Sorry I…uh….Emily…I…" He stuttered.  
"It's ok, Boz" I said realizing he was nervous about Emily seeing us together like that and couldn't help but smile "It's not like we're naked or something"  
He smiled back and nodded, blushing slightly "I should probably get going in a few anyway, I promised my ma I'd stop by her place and help her set up her new TV…"  
"Oh you know how to do that stuff? I can't get the TV in the bedroom to work right anymore, maybe you can figure it out"  
"Sure…next time I'm here I'll see what I can do…"  
"Sounds good..."  
"Hey when's your next day off?" He asked as he stood up  
"Tomorrow, why?"  
"I wanna take you somewhere nice…celebrate our umm…whatever this is" he said blushing slightly as he glanced down and pointed back and forth to himself and me.  
I smiled "You don't have to do that"  
"I know I don't have to but I want to….I'm not asking you anyway, you're going with me like it or not" he smiled. Fred never would have taken charge like that, so I was caught off guard slightly but liked it  
"Whatever you say Boz" I smiled

The sound of the water running in the shower stopped, Bosco glanced at the bathroom door then turned to me  
"That's my cue, I gotta go see my mom anyway"  
I nodded "I'll see you tonight"  
"With bells on, whatever the hell that means" he laughed. He always made fun of me when I would say that, that was so long ago though I was surprised he even remembered. I smiled back and we gave each other a quick kiss before he headed out.

I made my way into the kitchen to start some coffee, then straightened up around the apartment while I waited for it to brew.

"What's the deal with you guys anyway?" My daughters voice came from behind me, I turned around to see her standing there smiling at me  
"Aren't you late for school, Em"  
"I'm already late, the next bus isn't for a few minutes anyway"  
I shrugged and ignored her original question "You want something? Orange juice or anything?"  
"Just for you to answer my question" she said with the same smile still on her face, I could tell from it she pretty much knew what was going on but I didn't want to say it yet since I wasn't sure how she'd react. After all it hadn't been very long since Fred and I separated, and she already knew I had been seeing Miller occasionally, I didn't want her thinking I was going around jumping from guy to guy now.  
"What do you mean what's going on with us?" I asked unsure of what else to say, not really wanting her to answer.  
"Are you guys gunna' to start dating or something?"  
"What?" my voice cracked slightly as I answered and she just broke out laughing hysterically. I coughed to regain my voice "What's so funny?"  
"You really think I haven't noticed? You're worse than some of my friends from school all giggly and smitten"  
"What're you talking about?" I still attempted to play dumb which made her laugh again  
"Geez mom you're acting like it's a bad thing. It's nice to see you really happy, and I'm really happy for you"

I couldn't play dumb anymore, I knew she had caught on and I couldn't lie to her, plus I could see she really was happy for me. I caught myself for a moment thinking of when my little girl had turned into this mature young woman standing in front of me smiling.

"I knew for a while anyway….probably even before you did" her voice snapped me out of it  
"What? Emily this's all pretty new"  
"Maybe that you guys finally admitted it, but I knew you were crazy about him ever since he was in the hospital, you were a wreck. I'm not stupid, I can read people you know I got it from you"  
I smiled "Guess I can't hide it anymore, huh"  
"Nope" she smiled "And next time he's here, you can tell him he doesn't have to rush out so I don't see him" 


	6. Chapter 6

"Why the hell did I say I'd do this?" I wondered out loud as I struggled to figure out why the TV I was supposed to set up for my mom still wouldn't work right. "Chinese piece of crap" I kicked the box across the floor.  
"Maurice relax" my mom said coming into the room "I'd offer you lunch but all I have is leftover Chinese from last night" she smiled  
"I don't get it I did everything the same way the book said" I shrugged getting out from behind the TV  
"Were you reading the english version of the directions?" she laughed. I just rolled my eyes  
"I was just on the phone telling a friend of mine that I was shocked you were being patient then I come in and you're kicking my TV"  
"I didn't kick the TV..."  
"Box, whatever...so I couldn't help but notice you were in a good mood when you came earlier" she started and I knew right away the direction of the conversation "What's got you in such a good mood lately?"  
"I don't know this good mood you speak of" I smiled  
"See there it is" she said as we sat at the kitchen table "Spill it Maurice"  
I shrugged not wanting to get into it but I couldn't keep the smile off my face as hard as I tried  
"Just...eh...nothing"  
"Oh come on you can tell me...is it a girl?"  
I didn't answer her, but I guess she could read my reaction because she knew right away  
"So where did you meet her? How long have you been seeing her?" her voice was as excited as I'd heard it in a while, I took in a deep breath knowing I couldn't let her down and not tell her, she...well both of us, had been through so much since Mikey died, she ended up in the hospital and I ended up shot  
"It's...errr...well it's still pretty new"  
"How new?"  
"Pretty new" I said dismissing her question, her smile faded a little  
"Oh, I see"  
"I've known her for a long time though...for years..."  
"It's not Nicole again, is it? She was a nice girl..."  
I sighed "Nah...it's not her"  
"Oh...so who is it?"  
"You can't think of anyone else?"  
"Maurice you never talk to me about anything like this, how would I..." She paused and it was like I could see her mind working as she thought of who it could be "Wait a minute! It's not Faith is it?"  
A smile came to my face and I didn't even have to answer the question  
"It's Faith!"  
I nodded "It's still pretty recent though..."  
I could tell she wasn't listening to me anymore though, she was already in day dream land probably thinking of a wedding and all that girly BS. It was good to see her so happy though, it had been a long time and she always wanted me to find a good girl I could settle down with, which was never really appealing to me but now looking back at it, I guess I had no intrest in settling with anyone because that's exactly what I would have been doing. I would have been Settling for anyone other than Faith. 


	7. Chapter 7

I don't get nervous often….but it's not every day that I see pretty much all my former coworkers, the people I worked with every day for years. Had everything just been the same as it was the last time I had seen everyone, I wouldn't have even given it a second thought, but now everyone was going to find out what had happened with Bosco and I. I'm not ashamed of it, not at all, but I have no idea how everyone will react. We rode together for so long. What if they thought I left Fred for Bosco? I can't think of that, I need to finish getting ready

"Faith c'mon lets go!" Bosco's voice shook me out of my daze  
"What? Huh? Oh…yeah….Sorry Boz…I'm ready" I opened my bedroom door and walking into the living room where he was watching some animal documentary on Discovery  
"Gazelles?"  
"Yeah" he said not taking his eyes off the TV at first then turning around quickly with a big smile on his face "I finally saw a Cheetah get kicked in the face!"  
I smiled; I knew he had always wanted to see that, the underdog win one.

"So what do you think everyone will think….about us…you know" I asked as we got in his car  
He shrugged "How bad could it be, they're our friends…."  
"Yeah…besides, tonight's not about us, it's their housewarming"  
He rolled his eyes, I knew he had no interest in going to a housewarming party but even if he wouldn't admit it, I knew he wanted to see everyone together again. Ever since the Five-Five closed I think it was rough on everyone, everything was different. You work with these people at least 40 hours a week for years, then to suddenly be at a different place, with different people is a big adjustment. Also, I knew a part of Bosco probably wanted to let everyone see him again and see that he was doing good, that he was recovered and was getting back to normal.

We made small talk the rest of the drive, in between Bosco cursing out anyone on the road who he thought shouldn't be allowed to drive. Finally we found the place and headed inside to find their apartment

"Is it me, or does this place look familiar?" I asked trying to figure out why it did look so familiar  
"Yeah" He said quietly "Hobart lived here"  
"Ohhh…" My voice trailed off, unsure of what to say as I flashed back to that day. I was so scared that day, and I know that day scarred Bosco more then he would ever let anyone see. "I….Boz…"  
He shrugged "Don't worry about it Faith, I'm good" he put his hand on my arm and gave me a little smile but it faded quickly "I know I was a real asshole after that…the whole Hobart thing….and everything before it. You know I…I never wanted to take things out on you….you were just always there….I'm sorry for that"  
I could feel a mist coming to my eyes but I was able to keep from showing it, he caught me completely off guard with the apology, an apology that wasn't even necessary, but it was sweet nonetheless.  
"Boz, you don't have to apologize, what's done is done. Besides, I did the same thing more times then I'd like to remember…."  
Before I could continue what I was going to say, I found myself leaning forward and kissing him, just then the apartment door we were standing in front of opened, and Sully was staring at us.


	8. Chapter 8

I heard the apartment door squeak and recognized Sully's voice immediately  
"Got something on your face there, Yokas"  
Faith and I pulled away from each other at the same time, both showing our hands as we were perp's trying to say we were innocent even though we really couldn't deny this. Sul might not be a spring chicken anymore, but he's not blind or senile.  
"Hey, Sully" Faith smiled leaning over to hug him  
"Hey" he said sounding confused "How are you Faith?"  
"Good, good, how's retirement treating you?"  
"Good" he said then looked at me and extended his hand "How's it going Bosco?"  
I shook his hand "Can't complain…"  
"Bet you can't" he laughed glancing over his shoulder at Faith who was now making her way past him and into the apartment "So are you guys…."  
"You gunna invite me in or not?" I cut him off, not wanting to answer the question that was about to come, because honestly I'm not even sure at this point what the label would be for this thing we're doing now.  
"Be my guest" he said, sarcastically waving me into the apartment. Faith was already making the rounds saying hello to everyone, I followed her doing the same thing, and trying to get a read on everyone to see if Sully was the only one to see. Don't get me wrong, I'm not ashamed, or anything like that, I just don't know how anyone will react, not that I really care. I've never been much for caring about what other people think, but outside of my mother, these are the people I'm closest with, even if we don't work together every single day anymore.


	9. Chapter 9

_I fully expected there to be some changes, with us all getting together for the first time in such a long time, but I had expected maybe somebody had a new haircut, maybe somebody moved, or maybe somebody was dating someone new, well that last one was the case, but imagine my surprise when I saw Yokas and Bosco kissing each other when I opened the door. And not a little friendly kiss on the cheek, no sir, they were a lot more like two teenagers in a dark movie theater then two friends. I asked them what was up, but Bosco, being Bosco, wouldn't have any of it, and brushed off my questions like I wasn't even asking them. He's one stubborn son of a bitch. I guess it's no surprise they would get together though, they had the strongest bond of any partners I had ever worked with, which is saying something considering how many years I spent with the department and how many great officers I worked alongside. They just had something different, something very few people have. That unique ability to speak to each other without saying a single word, and that fierce instinct to do whatever they had to do help each other and keep each other safe. I'll never forget the way he saved Faith's life in the shootout at the hospital, or the way she saved his after he had taken so many bullets for her. All the great memories I have of my time on the job, that will always be one of the top 5, because it epitomized the true meaning of a 'partnership'. All that being said, it's still not something I was expecting to see tonight._

"Did you see that?" I asked Davis in disbelief after Bosco pushed past me into the apartment  
"See what?"  
"Faith and….nothing"  
"What do you mean, nothing? You started to tell me now you're commited"  
"Nah…it's nothing, man."  
"Come on, Sul, you peaked my interest now you have to tell me, you can't just leave me hanging"  
"Who's leaving you hanging?" Carlos asked walking up behind Davis  
I rolled my eyes "Nothing!"  
"Sul started to tell me something about Faith but then got all shy and stopped talking"  
"What about Faith?" Carlos asked  
"That's what I'm trying to find out" Davis said  
"What about Faith?" Carlos repeated his question, this time directed at me  
"Nothing!"  
"What's nothing?" Monroe asked walking over to us, putting her arms around Davis  
I rolled my eyes "Enough with the gossip, I'm gunna go have a beer" I sighed, surprised at how gossipy everyone was getting. I made my way into the kitchen to get a beer, where Bosco was doing the same

"Beer, Sul?" He asked, already handing me a bottle  
"Absolutely" I said taking it "Thanks"  
"Not a problem" he said glancing at me as he picked a beer for himself from the refrigerator  
"I didn't tell anyone, by the way" I told him  
He stopped, stood up and looked at me  
"Not my place" I continued "Whatever's going on with you guys is between you, if you want to tell me, or anyone else about it, that's all up to you"  
"Thanks, man" he said letting out a slight sigh "Appreciate it"  
"Don't mention it"  
"Cheers" he said holding up his beer  
"Cheers" I said doing the same "So how's work been treating you?"  
"Same shit, different day. Don't think I'll ever get used to working in a different house though, it just don't feel right"  
"I hear you, I never worked anywhere else, but what we had going at the Five-Five was something special. Everything just worked there"  
"Absolutely, now I'm out in Bed-Stuy, it could be worse but working with a rookie sure don't help things"  
"Tell me about it, remember Ty when he first started?" I laughed  
"Yeah, I remember having a pool on when he'd wise up and get off the street" Bosco laughed  
"Looks like we all got that one wrong, though" I said "So who knows, maybe your rookie could turn out to be a good cop one day after all"  
"Doubt it, but then again I thought Davis would fall on his ass real quick and was wrong…."  
"It's good to see you again, Bosco" I said, suddenly flashing back to all the good times we all had together at the Five-Five  
"Same here. So how's retirement treating you old man?"  
"Good, really good, nice to be out of the city finally after being there so long"

I caught Bosco up on all the details of my new place, as well as some exaggerated fishing stories.


	10. Chapter 10

_"I told you, I did the right thing!" _

_"You broke protocol, you don't really believe you were right, do you?" he asked me, looking at me like he didn't even remember everything we had been through together _

_"Screw the protocol!"_

_"You shouldn't have said that…"_

_"Screw it! Jerry, man come on when we were working together you would have done the same god damn thing!" _

_"No i wouldn't have!"_

_"Don't lie to my face, Jerry! We used to be friends!"_

"Mr Parker?" a gentle voice woke me from my dream…well I guess it was really a nightmare. They were normal to me now, I had grown used to them coming and going, flashbacks of different events throughout my life, from 9/11, to the paralyzed kid, to the shooting, to that day all those years ago when I accidentally killed my best friend over a girl when I was just a kid

"Mr. Parker, are you okay?" Mahri's sweet voice asked, her hand on my shoulder. She was a nurse at the facility I was staying at now, and she was one of those nurses that actually really cared. She hadn't gotten completely jaded by the job, she cared for every patient under her care and she and I got along pretty well. She mentioned to me once that she was interested in eventually becoming an EMT with the FDNY and maybe even down the line a paramedic. Ever since then I felt like she was someone I could help, and it had been so long since I had been able to help anyone. Now I was the one being helped, and I miss the feeling of being the 'helper' instead of the 'helped'

"Sorry…yeah I'm ok" I said, looking around the room and becoming aware of my surroundings. It had all been a dream….but I was still angry even though it wasn't real

"Are you sure?" she asked

I nodded "Yeah….it was just a dream…I hope I didn't wake anyone"

She shook her head "Don't worry about it….can I get you anything?"

"No…no thank you"

"Okay…you just let me know if you need anything okay?"

I nodded "I will….thank you"

As she left the room I looked at the clock, it was a little after midnight. A few years ago, I would probably just be on my way home from work still at this time, but now here I was, in an institution where I couldn't help but feel I had no real purpose anymore. I wasn't really depressed over the whole situation, I was used to living there by now and I had accepted it. I actually sometimes even almost enjoyed it because I got along well with basically everyone there, but thinking about the job, thats when I would feel the depression set in again. Any time paramedics would have to come into the facility to help someone, I felt a real pain in my chest, that used to be me. I made my bed, and now I sleep in it, I shot someone to prove a point. I realize now that it wasn't the right way to handle things, but at the time it was all i could think of. I could no longer reason with myself at that point and I took drastic action to stand up for something I believed in. Not a day goes by where I don't wish I could go back in time and change what I did, but unfortunately I can't

**Hey guys, sorry it's been so long since I posted any new chapters, I realize this one is very short and doesn't continue the Bosco/Faith storyline but I want to include a little about all the Third Watch characters in this story and this is Doc's POV taking place at the exact same time as the party everyone else is at. I plan on updating on a regular basis again :) **


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